At Athena Care Homes ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our residents is a top priority. One aspect of this is creating a comfortable and secure environment, especially during sleep. While bed rails might seem like a logical solution for preventing falls, there are important reasons why we have made the informed decision not to use them in our homes except in rare, exceptional circumstances.
Bed rails, often designed to prevent falls, can actually pose significant risks to residents. Some potential dangers include –
We do take your loved one’s safety very seriously and take a number of different steps to ensure their safety without using a bed rail.
We carry out a robust fall risk assessment before any resident is admitted and at regular intervals during their stay with us. Conducting thorough assessments to identify residents at risk of falls allows our team to implement personalised interventions tailored to each individual’s needs.
Simple adjustments such as removing tripping hazards and ensuring adequate lighting can significantly reduce the risk of falls.
Our care teams have all undergone training to give them the knowledge and skills needed to support residents safely, including techniques for assisting with transfers and repositioning.
The Athena approach to promoting safety and comfort
In lieu of bed rails, we employ a range of alternative strategies to enhance resident safety and comfort. These alternatives prioritise individualised care and promote independence while minimising the risk of falls and injuries and include:
If you have any questions at all about our use of bed rails please do reach out to the teams at your care home and they will be able to discuss with you.